Basis of Presentation - Additional Information (Detail)	6 Months Ended
May 31, 2012 Segment Facility
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of strategically located manufacturing, technical and other facilities	23
Number of reportable business segments	2
Performance Chemicals
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of operating segments	2
Decorative Products
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of operating segments	2

Number of operating segments. An operating segment is a component of an enterprise: (a) that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same enterprise), (b) whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the enterprise's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and (c) for which discrete financial information is available. An operating segment may engage in business activities for which it has yet to earn revenues, for example, start-up operations may be operating segments before earning revenues.

No definition available.

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration